DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: T - Teen
PAIRINGS: Clois
SPOILERS: None
SUMMARY: Clois 100 Prompt #37: Shadows. He lived his entire life in shadows...
A/N: Somehow, someway, and with someone at fault, I decided to try a solo attempt at writing a Superman fic. And then last night, my brain was taken over with another demonic plot bunny. Once again, Beelzabunny has wrought another fic from the depths of my dark mind. I hope you enjoy it.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I have the two most amazing people for my regualr betas. One of which is specifically responsible for making me write this story. She's also directly responsible for making me addicted to CSI Smut Fics, Batman Begins, Wonder Woman Comics, Batman Comics, Justice League Cartoons, Clois Fics and Hanson's Diet Black Cherry Natural Soda... But I suppose some of it is payback for the hangovers I've given her, and the costumes I have aided in overtaking her brains, not to mention making her hoeplessly addicted to visiting me in Colorado (she's even toyed with the idea of moving here :D ), so I guess we're almost even. LOL
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
He lived his entire life in shadows...the shadow of his father, the shadow of his truth. And now, he lives in the shadows, watching from afar the ones that he loves.
He knows that his distance is necessary for their safety, but he just can't help wanting to be near them. More than anything, he wants to be there for them, and to be the one making them happy, but instead he is exiled to the shadows of their lives. Exiled by his duty, by his promise.
From within the shadows of an oak grove, he watched them in the park one day. He noticed their comfortable and carefree laughter, their undeniable happiness and it made his heart ache with the loss of them. He longed to step into the light, to take their hands and to share in the happiness that passed between them, but the cry of someone in need arose and he was once again honor bound to respond.
There was no one to blame for his life in shadows, for he had made the choice willingly. He was to serve the greater good, just as his father before him, and his father before him, and so on, until the beginnings of time.
The son becomes the father - the father becomes the son.
Those solemn and reverent words were his birthright; they were his legacy. They were also his darkest fear. He feared the truth in them more than he feared anything else, save for harm coming to the ones he loved.
And so, he forged on, living a duty bound life; the light of the world, and a shadow of the man he could have been.
But still, he watched and hoped, knowing that their lives were better off without his constant reminder of their combined sacrifice. He was absent from their world for the benefit of all, except their hearts.
He would stay away as long as he could, but eventually, he would sink back into the shadows of their life, and keep watch. It was the only time he took to himself any longer; the demands of honor overwhelming even a minor existence away from it all. He remained apart from humanity, in order to serve it.
As he watched their unhurried walk down the streets of Metropolis, he could feel their relaxed nature and it gave him warmth. He knew that in some small way, he was responsible for their comfort, for their ability to walk, untroubled by the world, hand in hand, over the damp sidewalks of their city. They were safe in the knowledge that they had each other, and that another watched over them.
Their knowledge of him, and of his true self was his only remaining link to humanity.
He followed them through their weekly ritual, finding solace in the precious time they were able to share with one another. As they crossed through the park, he noticed that their steps had slowed through the years. Slowed by the march of time he had begun to see in her eyes.
Before reaching their destination, he started to wonder what life would be like when she was no longer there for him to watch. Humanity came at a deadly price, and he knew that one day the spark of life in her eyes would fade away, leaving him once again.
As they came upon the marble monument in the center of the park, the pair took up their usual seats on the bench with the best view of its solemn profile and held to each other in an effort to blot out the icy chill in the air. Rain or shine, frigid winter or boiling summer, nothing stopped them from their Sunday morning tradition.
He listened closely, so close that he could hear their hearts beating, waiting to hear the only words which brought him comfort anymore.
Taking her trembling gloved hands into his, the man at her side spoke the words of his father, and the ones from his heart. "The Kryptonian prophesy has been fulfilled. The son becomes the father - the father becomes the son. All you can do, Jason, even now that you have found...yourself...is help them to evolve. Set an example. Show them they must strive towards the light. And... Remember us..."